Statement by the Chairperson of the NHRCK Calling for an Upward Revision of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (Chairperson Ahn Chang-ho) urges the Government to immediately raise its proposed 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target in order to protect the rights to life and health of all citizens, as well as the rights of future generations.
On November 6, the Government announced its draft 2035 NDC, setting a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50–60% (or 53–60%) compared to 2018 levels. Considering that the lower bound of the target range would also serve as a valid benchmark for compliance, this proposed level falls far short of the international standard aligned with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C, as recommended by the NHRCK in June.
The climate crisis is already directly undermining the human rights of all persons in Korea. Increasingly frequent and severe heatwaves, floods, and wildfires are threatening the rights to life and health, while prolonged extreme weather during hot and cold seasons is severely impacting energy-poor populations. To fulfil its obligation to protect human rights, the Government must take bold and swift measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the root cause of the climate crisis.
In July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), in its advisory opinion, affirmed that States have an international legal obligation to limit the rise in global average temperature to within 1.5°C. Accordingly, as a member of the international community, the Republic of Korea must set its targets in line with this standard.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in its Sixth Assessment Report, concluded that the world must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 60% from 2019 levels by 2035 to achieve the 1.5°C goal. Civil society estimates that Korea, in order to meet the global average reduction level, should cut emissions by 61.2% by 2035 compared to 2018 levels.
Under the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC), Korea, as an advanced industrial economy, bears a responsibility to reduce its emissions at a level higher than the global average. However, the current government proposal remains far below that expectation.
The Government must recognize the human rights impacts of the climate crisis and demonstrate its commitment to bearing the fair share of responsibility, both for those living in Korea and for the international community. Above all, it must remember that the limited remaining “carbon budget” should not be exhausted by the present generation, but rather preserved to ensure the survival and well-being of future generations.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea therefore urges the Government to revise its 2035 NDC target upward to align as closely as possible with the reduction levels recommended by the IPCC, thereby fulfilling its constitutional duty to protect the people, its obligations under international law, and its leadership in the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
November 10 2025
Ahn Chang-ho
Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission of Korea
